Ukraine war briefing: Russia bans diesel exports as refinery attacks ⁠trigger gas shortages and price spikes

Russia introduced a ban on diesel exports on Wednesday as part of a raft of measures to support the domestic fuel market after systematic Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries ⁠triggered gasoline shortages and price spikes. Drivers ⁠in many regions are ​facing hours-long lines to refuel, as intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure squeeze supplies of diesel and gasoline. The deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, told a televised government meeting, chaired by the president, Vladimir ⁠Putin, that the fuel situation remained complex and that “it is clear that the current situation at filling stations is causing concern among the public.”

Russian ballistic missiles and jet-powered ​drones killed at least three people in Kyiv ⁠in attacks on Wednesday morning, officials said, as Moscow exploits Ukraine’s critical shortage of US-made interceptors. The attacks coincided with a Nato summit in Ankara, where Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held ⁠a meeting with Donald Trump and discussed the possibility of Ukraine obtaining licences to produce the interceptors. Moscow has stepped up its air war on Ukraine in recent months as its ground advances ​have largely stalled and Ukrainian attacks on its military logistics and oil industry triggered widespread fuel shortages. In July alone, Russian strikes on Kyiv and its surrounding region have killed 60 people.

The US president’s commitment to allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, however, was vaguely framed, and he admitted he had not spoken to the US defence and aerospace companies Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon) that produce the Patriot system. It also remained unclear how quickly manufacturing of the expensive and complex munitions could be stepped up.

A Russian ‌attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Wednesday killed four people and injured six, a senior local official said. The city, Ukraine’s most important port, has been a frequent Russian target in the more than four-year-old war. A

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, also came under missile attack on Wednesday morning, local officials said, reporting damage to private homes and a church. Another missile strike later on ⁠Wednesday on a residential building killed two, its mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said.

In Russia, Ukraine’s overnight drone attacks killed one person and damaged industrial sites, authorities said.

Russia denounced Nato’s decision to give military aid to Ukraine, saying it ⁠could have catastrophic consequences. Maria ​Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s ⁠Foreign Ministry, ⁠said Nato’s priorities remained unchanged: “The militarisation of the European continent, the focus on building up defence capabilities, preparation ⁠for an armed conflict with Russia, and, of course, aid to Ukraine.” Zakharova said in a statement on her ministry’s website: “It is a pity, because if Nato ⁠strategists had stopped and thought for a moment, they might not have ​made such irresponsible decisions that ‌could lead to a ‌catastrophe not just for the alliance, but for the whole world.”